An indigenous voice at WIPO

Abstract

The demands for the recognition of rights for Indigenous peoples over time has led to the emergence of a common body of opinion based on long standing principles of international human rights law and policy. The existence of these rights for Indigenous people is unequivocal. The road to recognition has been arduous. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [the Declaration] is the only international instrument that views Indigenous rights through an indigenous lens, crystallising many of the fundamental human rights of Indigenous peoples. The Declaration provides a framework and benchmark for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues [the Permanent Forum]. This note reviews the background to the Declaration, and examines the role of the Permanent Forum, highlighting the connection between the two with a case study on intellectual property rights. It also offers comments about the future of Indigenous rights and the role of the Permanent Forum in promoting them.